News: buy-to-let to pass £1 trillion

The total combined wealth of Britain’s buy-to-let investors is set to pass £1 trillion, according to figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML).

In general, the figures show the housing market has improved since the financial crash in 2007.

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) valued household balance sheets for 2013 at £8.5 trillion.

Research suggests that figure has continued to increase throughout 2014. One estimate placed the figure at £9.1 trillion.

And a significant amount of the wealth in this market is now in the hands of buy-to-let investors.

A look at the figures

The figures reveal that the total value of residential property for 2014 was £4.76 trillion, of which £990 billion belonged to buy-to-let investors.

The CML said: “The value of the private rented sector was £990 billion in 2014 and, in all likelihood, it will exceed £1,000 billion in 2015.”

It added: “This figure has increased by 70 per cent since 2007.

“We expect these trends to continue and to see household balance sheets strengthen further.”

Richard Dyson, personal finance editor for the Telegraph, said: “The vast wealth in buy-to-let is all the more astonishing given that landlord loans only became available in the mid-Nineties.”

He added: “They are now the fastest-growing part of the mortgage market.”

Growing number of buy-to-let loans

The number of loans contributing to buy-to-let has also increased.

The most recent figures from the CML show 18,200 buy-to-let loans made in March, which represents a 21 per cent leap from March 2014.

The total value of these loans rose to £2.7 billion, a 35 per cent increase on the same time last year.

For more information about acquiring property, read our free guide to the house buying process.